UK unemployment rises to 5.1%
The UK unemployment rate in the three months to October has increased to 5.1%, data published by the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday (16 December ) shows.
Vacancy numbers were broadly unchanged on the quarter; early estimates suggest a small decrease of just 2,000 (0.2%) vacancies to 729,000 in September to November 2025.
The number of unemployed people per vacancy was 2.5 in August to October 2025, up from 2.3 in the previous quarter and 1.8 in the previous year.
The estimated number of workforce jobs in the UK was 36.6 million in September 2025; this is a decrease of 116,000 (0.3%) from June 2025, with decreases of 15,000 (0.0%) in the employee jobs component and 120,000 (2.9%) in the self-employment jobs component.
“The overall picture continues to be one of a weakening labour market,” said ONS Director of Economic Statistics Liz McKeown. “The number of employees on payroll has fallen again, reflecting subdued hiring activity, while firms told us there were fewer jobs in the latest period,” she said.
McKeown added that this weakness is also reflected in an increase in the unemployment rate, while vacancies remained broadly flat. “The fall in payroll numbers and increase in unemployment have been seen particularly among some younger age groups.”
Wage growth slowed further in the private sector, while increasing again in the public sector, reflecting the continued impact of some pay rises being awarded earlier than they were last year, she said.
